


home for the holidays

by icemakestars



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Best Friends, Engagement, Fluff, Hurt No Comfort, Leaving Home, Marriage Proposal, Multi, Non-binary character, Siblings, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-01-20 19:13:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21286772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: All of my submissions for the 'Home for the Holidays' event run by FTLGBTales. Each chapter will include it's own summary and warnings.
Relationships: Bickslow/Freed Justine, Bickslow/Loke, Cana Alberona/Juvia Lockser, Gildarts Clive/Silver Fullbuster, Jellal Fernandes/Gray Fullbuster, Minerva Orland/Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel & Wendy Marvell & Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27
Collections: Fairy Tail LGBTales, Fairy Tail Rarepairs, Home for the Holidays 2019





	1. Gray + Lucy : Fluff

**Author's Note:**

> Gray is panicking about the festive season, and relies on Lucy for help.

Graylu + Call me now, it’s urgent

The room was quiet, and dark, and that was how Lucy liked it; how she wanted it to stay. But her phone was buzzing, illuminating her bedroom, and it did not matter how early in the morning it was, because now she was awake and whoever was on the other end of that phone was about to have hell to pay.

** _Gray:_ **

_ Call me now, it’s urgent. _

All of Lucy’s anger was forgotten, her fingers moving to unlock her phone.

He answered after one ring.

“Luce, are you awake?”

She rolled out of bed, ran fingers through her tangled hair,

“I am now. Has something happened?” 

“Natsu is already getting excited about Christmas and my family never really celebrated Christmas so I have no idea where to even  _ begin  _ and he keeps talking about gifts and I- ”

Despite the early morning and the irate tone of Gray’s voice, Lucy could not help but smile. He really did love Natsu, that much was clear. She could only hope to find someone who fit her as well as they did each other.

“Gray, calm down. Where are you?” 

“In a cafe down town. Can I text you the address?” 

“I’m already locking the door.” 

Lucy smiled as she clicked to end the call, slid on some shoes and pulled on a jumper. She looked a mess, but her friend needed her. And no matter how trivial it may seem, Lucy could never let down her friends. 

Her phone buzzed once again, another text from Gray, and she memorised the place name and mumbled under her breath,

“He is so buying me a coffee.” 

It was going to be a fun morning of Christmas shopping, and even though she was barely even awake, Lucy was looking forward to it.


	2. Juvia x Cana : Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cana is grateful that Juvia is so willing to meet her family.

“Rise and shine, sweet thing.” 

It was bliss, waking up to the soothing sound of Cana’s voice, her lips pressing kisses against Juvia’s back. It was not something Juvia could imagine tiring of.

She stretched out her limbs, turned to face her girlfriend with a smile.

“What’s all this for?” Juvia blinked in surprise.

Cana carried a tray with pancakes and toast; yoghurt and a bowl of chopped fruit. There was a sweet tea and glass of water on the side, complete with a napkin cut in the shape of a heart. Even though they had been together for years and loved one another dearly, Cana had never been the romantic type; she showed her feelings in different, more subtle ways. But Juvia could not pretend that she did not appreciate the gesture.

“You agreed to meet my old man today.” Cana kissed Juvia’s forehead and crossed her legs as she sat on the bed. Despite the early hour, Cana was already dressed, fingers tapping anxiously on her lap. Juvia stilled her hands by covering them with her own.

“Cana, you’re my family now. So any person who is important to you is also important to me.” She took a bite of the toast, running her thumb over Cana’s knuckle. “Your father means a lot to you. I’m honestly very excited to be meeting him.” 

Cana sighed, resting her head on Juvia’s shoulder.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” 

Juvia smiled happily as she ate her breakfast, watching Cana use her phone and quietly wondering the same thing.


	3. Gajeel + Natsu + Wendy

Their father was dead. Their mother had left them. They were alone. Only that was not true; they had each other, and Natsu did not think that that was so bad.

Gajeel was twelve, he was ten, and Wendy was seven. She was trying to be strong, to pretend as though she was not phased by their family dwindling down to just the three of them, but her brothers knew better. She had asked to go out sind play, to enjoy the long summer nights whilst they were still at their disposal, and despite his hard edges Gajeel had never been good at denying Wendy her simple, innocent pleasures. But now she was asleep, exhausted from being chased by Natsu and maintaining the facade of happiness.

Even in slumber, Wendy seemed troubled, brows scrunched up and lip quivering. Natsu wished that he could make everything better for her, for all of them, but all he could do now was be there, and be the best big brother he could be. Even better than Gajeel.

The bracelet on his wrist caught on the flowers of the meadow, and Natsu allowed himself a small smile. Wendy had made them all friendship bracelets, or the equivalent for siblings. She had not articulated herself well whilst offering them, but Natsu did not think that that mattered. She wore hers with pride on her frail wrist, as did Natsu. Gajeel was more reserved, but Natsu could still see the green threads wrapping around his ankle as he sat and plaited daisies into Wendy’s wind-curled hair.

They were young, and they were alone, but they would be okay. Because they had each other.


	4. Silver x Gildarts : Fluff

It isn’t Gildarts’ fault, Silver knew that. But the candles are almost to the wick, and he could hear Cana crying upstairs from another one of her nightmares. Her father worked away most of the time, and although Silver tried his hardest he could not be everything that the six-year-old demanded. His own son Gray was only five, and Silver felt stretched in half, not fully being able to commit to both of them fairly. Of course he saw Cana as his own daughter, and she thought of Gray as her brother, but still the young girl yearned for the man who she had known her entire life, and Silver understood that.

That was one reason that he was excited to hear that Gildarts was coming home early, of course it was; but it was even more simple than that. He loved Gildarts, missed him when he was away from home. And he was away from home often. Silver had run the man a nice bubble bath, lit candles and opened their expensive bottle of wine which they had saved for a special occasion. But now Silver was three glasses down, reading the text message over and over again until his vision blurred.

_I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it back tonight. Sorry, love x_

Maybe Silver was being unreasonable; twenty-four more hours would not break their relationship. But he felt like a fool for getting so excited about something which was unlikely to happen. He finished his drink, deliberating before emptying the bottle into his now empty glass.

Cana appeared as she always did, bleary-eyed and red-cheeked. She looked around the room, blinking slowly, before her lip began to quiver once more.

“Is papa not here yet?”

“He’s... running late.” White lies were allowed, Silver decided. Anything to prevent Cana from crying again. “Come here.” He opened his arms and Cana crawled into them willingly.

Hiccups still broke loose from her, but eventually Cana quietened, and Silver rocked her until her sighs and groans became soft snores. They had been doing this most nights this week, and Silver knew that it was not just his heart which was feeling Gildarts’ absence.

He turned the television down, laying Cana down gently on the space next to him and headed towards the kitchen in search of another bottle of wine. As he passed the front door Silver paused, wishing that it would fly open and he could take his husband into his arms.

For once in his life, Silver felt like a lucky man.

There was a click of a lock, a turn of a key, and then Gildarts filled his every sense. The other man was obviously disheveled and tired, and when he smiled it was sheepish.

“Hi, love.”

Maybe it was the wine, or the sheer overwhelming power of his relief, but Silver threw himself into his husband’s arms, choking back his own tears.

“You’re Home.” He breathed in Gildarts’ scent, familiar and warm and so very welcome. Gildarts held him close, embracing him in the open doorway without a care in the world. He pulled back and placed a tender kiss on Silver’s waiting lips, grinning slightly,

“I’m home.”


	5. Bickslow x Freed : Fluff

Freed knew that meeting Bickslow’s family would be difficult, but he was certainly not expecting this.

“Is that a knuckle-duster?” He hissed into his boyfriends ear. Bickslow didn’t even raise his head from his phone.

“On Gajeel? Probably.”

His brother was sat staring at Freed, not moving and barely blinking; his sister, Juvia, was the opposite. She filed her nails into sharp points, eyes trying to force Freed to meet them. They were both so intense, and odd. He had expected as much, seeing as Bickslow was also both of those things. Freed took a deep breath. Bickslow was the youngest of the three siblings, and had already warned Freed that the other two may try and intimidate him. It was a test. He could get through this. He _had_ to.

Freed took a swig of his gin and tonic.

“Here.” Bickslow was grinning, taking Freed’s hand under the table and pressing a deft kiss to his cheek. Freed had never been a fan of public displays of affection, and he felt his entire face and neck ignite with a severe blush. There was a snap of a camera, and Freed turned to face Bickslow’s siblings with a horrible mixture of embarrassment andconfusion. Juvia held a polaroid camera and was aiming it at the couple.

“What?” Freed stammered, glaring at Bickslow as he stifled a laugh.

“It’s tradition to get a photo when we first meet our sibling’s partner.”

Gajeel nodded solemnly, as though they were discussing a blood pact and not a strange familial custom, and Juvia almost managed a smile.

“Great.” Freed huffed, and Bickslow rubbed his thumb across Freed’s hand.

“Sorry, baby.”

The petname did nothing to lessen the redness of Freed’s cheeks, and he averted his gaze to the isle of the restaurant.

“You’re annoying.”

“But you love me.”

“Sometimes.”

His siblings were one thing, but Bickslow’s parents would be arriving soon. Freed eyed up his drink, wondering if it was too early to order another one but knowing that he would need it anyway. It was going to be a long lunch, and he sighed internally at the lengths people go to for love.


	6. Bickslow x Loke : Fluff

“Where did you learn to cook?” Bickslow hummed, eyes transfixed on the apron that framed the back of Loke’s naked body. The ribbons showed off his slim waist, then following the curve of Loke’s ass. Why he was cooking them breakfast nude, Bickslow did not know. But he was certainly not about to complain.

“I invested time in many skills which would woo the ladies.”Loke turned to wink over his shoulder, and Bickslow rolled his eyes.

“How’s that working out for you?”

Loke flipped the pancakes, twisting his wrist to ensure that they did not stick to the pan. Bickslow watched him work, mesmerised, and when Loke was satisfied he slid their breakfast onto the waiting plates.

They were topped with strawberries and syrup, served with a professional standard coffee, and Loke spun around with a ferocious grin.

“Perfectly.”

He placed a kiss on Bickslow’s cheek, the pancakes on the table, and Bickslow hummed his agreement.

Things really were going perfectly.


	7. Jellal x Gray

It was a cliche, and Gray understood that. But he and Jellal came from this same continent and over there Yule was the most important day of the year. They had already decorated the tree with pine cones and tealights, and were now burning incense as music played softly on their lacrima.

Gray was sat between Jellal’s legs, back pressed against the other man’s front, and Jellal feathered his fingers through Gray’s hair. They were quiet; peaceful. Gray was terrified that he was about to ruin it. He was so nervous, every inch of his skin felt prickled and on edge.

It was times like this that Gray missed a smoke.

“What’s on your mind, love?” Jellal pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Gray paused, clearing his throat and trying to keep his voice steady.

“I know we said that we weren’t doing gifts.” He began, spinning his body and digging behind the settee until he found the box which he was looking for. “And it isn’t a gift.”

He met Jellal’s gaze, defiant despite his fear. The other man was confused, brows drawn together, but then Gray popped open the box and Jellal’s expression contorted into shock.

“It’s a question. A promise.” Gray murmured.

A wave of emotion overtook the blue-haired man, from understand, to shock, to pure ecstasy. He started crying, leant his forehead on Gray’s.

“Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

“Of course.”

There was no pause, or deliverance; Jellal was certain, and that made Gray’s heart swell until he was crying too.

The ring he had chosen was special, an intricate silver band with a large frost diamond in the centre. Both the style and the stone was native to their homeland, and it was beautiful. If fit then perfectly.

Gray slipped it onto Jellal’s finger, and then their lips met, messy and frantic and just yearning to touch.

Growing up, Gray had always believed that Yule was the most important day of the year, but looking at the ring on Jellal’s finger, he knew that there was one more even bigger to come.


	8. Minerva x Erza : Angst

The sky was grey, the air cold, and Minerva felt as though she was about to cry. Even after all this time, the words of her father still echoed within her:

_Don’t let people see your weaknesses_.

So she choked it back, held in the emotions which were crippling her. The air she breathed was glass, scraping her lungs and ripping at her throat. She felt sick, and exhausted, but knew that sleep would be lost to her. Instead, she watched Erza pack, followed each and every movement that the red-head made religiously, inscribing the shape and smell and essence of Erza into her mind, as though this was the last time they would ever see each other. 

And it might be. Minerva did not know, and that terrified her. She was used to being powerful, and amused, even wry, but fear? This was new, and Minerva hated it, hated how it coiled around her stomach, crushing it until the tigress could taste bile. 

“I’m sorry.” Erza’s voice was small, her gaze not even trying to meet Minerva’s.

“If you meant that then you would tell me where you were going.” 

“I can’t.” Erza pleaded. “The job is secret, you know how it is.” 

She did, of course she did, but that did not make Minerva feel any better. Her girlfriend was leaving to do a dangerous mystery job, and Minerva did not know what it was, how long it would take, or if she would ever see Erza again. 

“So you don’t trust me to keep a secret.” 

Erza’s gaze hardened, her brows knotting together. That used to be a look which excited Minerva, but now it made her feel worse. 

“That isn’t fair, and you know it.” Erza sighed, her gauntlet-clad head massaging her temple. “It’s client confidentiality, Minnie. If I could tell you, I would.” 

The use of her nickname just pushed Minerva closer to tears, so she dug the heel of her hands into her eyes, sliding against the wall until she hit the floor.

“I’ll miss you.” It was barely even a whisper, but Erza caught it, and in a moment she was by Minerva’s side, requipping into her comfortable clothes and cupping Minerva’s face in her hands.

“I’ll miss you too, love.” Erza took a shaky breath. “Every second of every day until I return.”   
  
“When will that be?” Minerva asked, hopeful that the answer had changed since the last time. 

“I wish I knew.”

Erza rested her forehead against Minerva’s, their lips not quite touching, and Minerva savoured the moment, because she did not know when she would have one like this again. 

“This isn’t the end, Minnie. I promise you that.” 

Minerva nodded, adjusting her face so that their lips brushed slightly,

“And I promise that I’ll be here when you get back.” 

That was all she could do, and it was painful, but love often was. Minerva would rather have this promise than not have Erza at all, and when Erza stood to leave, Minerva followed, already counting down each minute until her girlfriend was in her arms again. 


	9. Sting x Rogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting is a trans man and rogue is Agender.

It was strange, how much could change in a lifetime. 

_Raios Cheney. Charlotte Eucliffe.   
_

They had both known from a young age that they would be together forever, but neither of them could foresee this. _  
_

“How do I look?” Sting asked, pulling his suit lapels and spinning away from the mirror.

“Incredible.”

Rogue approached Sting slowly, smiling, circling their arms around Sting’s waist.   
  
This was his first suit, one that they had chosen together. Sting had been excited, and even if Rogue did not fully understand the relevance they were simply pleased to see their boyfriend happy. 

“This is the first year that I’m excited for the ball.” He sighed against Rogue’s chest, threading his fingers through their hair.   
  
“I still haven’t decided what to wear yet.” Rogue sighed, and Sting offered an empathetic smile. 

“That dress you bought was beautiful.” 

“Yeah…” Rogue winced. They enjoyed clothes of all capacity, knew that Sting loved them regardless, but not everyone outside of the guild understood their gender… or lack thereof. 

And that was the dilemma: if they wore a suit, they felt as though they were presenting as too masculine, and if they were a dress then that could issues for both their boyfriend and their guild. It was frustrating, and Rogue was tired of thinking about it. They were considering going in a t-shirt and jeans, or simply just not bothering at all. That would solve their problems. But the latter in particular was not a viable option, not when this was the first ball with Sting out to the public as a man. Rogue had to be there for him, because they knew how much of a big deal for Sting this was. 

“Either way,” Sting began, pressing his lips against Rogue’s cheek. “You’ll look lovely.” 

Their lips met, and it was sweet. They had fallen in love as a boy and a girl, and now they stood together, a man and his partner. Rogue wanted to be with Sting forever, and was planning for such strong emotions; they had already chosen a ring. Now it was just a matter of time.

Knowing that they had that, that all the time in the world was theirs, was a beautiful and euphoric feeling. Rogue was getting dizzy from it, from the indescribably bliss of an eternity with Sting. And they realised that it did not matter what they wore. People would still talk, and Sting would still love, and the world would move on without any serious damage. All Rogue had to worry about was the next step, getting down on one knee and asking the man of his dreams to be with them forever.   
  
It was a daunting prospect, but they were ready. With Sting on their arm, Rogue felt as though they could face the world. And with Sabertooth’s ball looming ahead, they really just might. 


	10. Gray x Invel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for the ftlgbtales 500 word drabbles

“I’m dating Invel.”

The guild fell quiet, with Lucy toppling from her seat and Natsu rising from his angrily.

“You’re dating the bastard from Alverez?” Natsu hissed, and Gray glared.

“He isn’t a bastard, you snot-nosed brat.”

“He tried to kill you!”

“Natsu, _you’ve_ tried to kill me!”

With a petulant pout, Natsu fell back to his stool, arms crossed and chin jutted defiantly.

“Never seriously, though.”

Gray sighed, stretching out his limbs. He knew that this would not be easy; the Alverez wound was still fresh, with some of the guild members still recovering from their wounds. But if the guild could forgive Gajeel and Laxus, then he would have to persevere. Their hearts were large, and they would forgive Invel, too. He had to believe that they would.

“How did this happen?” Erza asked, eyes narrowed. She was sceptic, but restraining from any harsh opinions which she held. He appreciated that much, at least.

“We became sparring partners. Our magic is compatible and he’s very intelligent. I’ve learned a lot of techniques from him already.”

Laxus smirked, resting his hand on Gray’s shoulder,

“I bet you have.”

The ice wizard swatted him away, face already flushing scarlet. Natsu was still pouting, and Lucy was too shocked to speak, which rarely happened, but Mirajane offered a tentative smile, placing a plate of food in front of Gray.

“Are you sure about this, Gray?”

He nodded,

“Absolutely.”

And then Mirajane’s smile widened into something more genuine. Her eyes squeezed shut and she clapped her hands.

“Then I’m happy for you.”

Erza hummed her agreement, slamming his head against her armoured chest, and when his gaze turned to Lucy she squeaked.

“If you think he’s changed then I believe you.”

“He’s working with the reformed magic council currently, debunked myths about Zeref and helping to create accurate accounts of what happened in Alverez.” Gray’s gaze fell to his lap. “They say it should lessen his sentence time.”

That was the deal, but whether it happened or not still remained a mystery. Invel was trying, was doing his best on this new continent to help the people who had once been ordered to hurt, and that was all Gray could ask for; that he would do his best, and that the guild would forgive him.

The members of Alverez who were left in Fiore faced trial soon, and Gray would was going to be there, no matter the outcome. He did not love Invel yet, but he was fond of him, and that affection spurred Gray on, made him stronger and wiser, an altogether more capable wizard. No matter the sins of the past, Gray would always be grateful for that, and if he believed that they could build a happy future together then he hoped that his friends could believe it too.


End file.
